Letter Essay #6-Chelsea

 

I have recently finished reading the extraordinary book, Room. This 321 paged novel was written by the Dublin author, Emma Donoghue. Donoghue not only writes realistic fiction but she also writes plays, drama, historical fiction, and even for the radio. Emma Donoghue has mentioned in numerous interviews that she got her inspiration for the novel from her own children. She couldn’t imagine raising a child while being held captive. That is how the two main characters, Ma and Jack were created, and how there bond and connection helped them escape. Room is contemporary fiction and was published on August 6, 2010. About 6 years later a movie that was inspired by the book was released on February 4, 2016. The reason I chose this book was that I had heard about the movie and the plot. It never interested me much but then I felt that it was time to explore a book of such a mature and advanced content. This book is definitely difficult but suspenseful to read, which is why it is so captivating and inspiring.

Ma, a main and a very important character, wants to teach her 5-year-old son, Jack all she can while being kept in a garden shed. Jack is curious about the world that is shown on T.V. He doesn’t believe it is real, Jack believes Room is all there is to the world because it is all that he knows. Ma needs to escape in order to help Jack and any chance of a future for him. Ma is willing to take a huge risk, but that would spoil the entire ending so you will have to read this engaging tale to find out!

Every word of Room gives me chills. The fact that it is told in the perspective of a  5-year-old is remarkable. However, this unique perspective can also be confusing at many times. I found myself reading the same sentence numerous amounts of time because of the naive language. For example, “ Plant used to live on Table but God’s face burned a leaf of her off.(Page 8)” This line not only shows the distinctive perspective of Jack but also the author choose to capitalize ordinary objects, which was common throughout the book. Jack would say “good morning” and greet each item in the room .I think the author did this to show how secluded and isolated Jack really is. I also noticed that the author wanted to show Ma as a hopeful and optimistic character. In the book, Jack’s mother teaches him that the sunlight from the one small window is God shining through. I believe this is a metaphor. God is the outside world and that small window on the ceiling is practically the only connection Jack really does encounter with the outside. After reading phrases like this I realize and understand the importance of experiences of others and how they affect me in such a terrific way.

 

This story reminds me of a book I read last year by S.A Bodeen, Detour. The book is an alike hostage story. What I found interesting is that the girl from Detour was around the same age as Ma when she was taken. I wonder why so many of these stories have similar age ranges? Do Authors do this on purpose or is it coincidence? S.A Bodeen and Emma Donoghue are homologous to one another because they write books that are different genres and themes from one another. It is fascinating to compare such a controversial and debatable book(Room) to a novel where any middle schooler can read and process the books meaning(Detour).

The following paragraph takes the reader into the unbelievable reality that Jack lives and Ma is trying to accept.

“After the nap, we do Scream every day but not Saturdays or Sundays. We clear our throats and climb up on Table to be nearer Skylight, holding hands not to fall. We say “On your mark, get set, go,” then we open wide our teeth and shout holler howl yowl shriek screech scream the loudest possible.(Page 40)”

Jack is so accustomed to this lifestyle so much so he believes that hollering is just apart of his normal day after the nap. How is that acceptable? Most importantly Ma’s strength is shown through this scene. I couldn’t imagine the pain and suffering Ma is going through because she once did have a normal and happy life before she was kidnapped and put into the eleven by eleven room. This book does not glamorize what happens in our world. While reading this, the raw material is being spoken through the mouth of a young hostage, who doesn’t even realize it. The power this book holds between its pages can and will influence anyone who is open to read it. However, this book is not appropriate for some, but I do recommend it to the readers that are accepting of its organic material. I give this book a 9 out of 10 and would definitely read it more than once again!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Ci-pAL4eE

The link above is the movie trailer for Room

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8 thoughts on “Letter Essay #6-Chelsea

  1. Dear Chelsea,
    Thank you for sharing your Letter Essay #6 with me. I have watched the movie room, but not the book. After reading your essay, I am considering picking up the book because of the detail you used to describe it. I thought it was very cool to talk about the perspective of the book and how the story folds out based on this 5 year old boy. One piece of advice I have for you is to show more of your thinking regarding your quoted passage. By showing more of your personal thinking, it will engage the reader further and make them understand what was going through your mind when you read the book. Overall, this Letter Essay was very well done. Nice Job!

    -Reed Cooper

  2. Chelsea-
    I really enjoyed your letter essay on the book, Room. I liked how you explained the advantages and disadvantages of having the story being told from a five year old’s perspective. The Room sounds interesting,and unlike any other book I have read. I will have to add this book to my list of books to read. Thank you for writing your letter essay! Great job!
    -Marissa S.

  3. Dear Chelsea,

    This book does seem pretty interesting. I like how in depth your thinking was when you explained why you thought the author wrote that way, showing you truly read the book carefully. It’s odd how one may portray a character like that, but it gives us a feel of how this boy, Jack, thinks and acts during his state of isolation. Again, I believe this book has many twists and curves to go along with it, leaving me wondering what this “Room” thing is. But I may read it to find out myself. Thanks for sharing.

    Peter Martinich

  4. Chelsea-
    Great job on this letter essay! Room sounds like a very interesting book, so I might read it soon. You used so much detail in your writing, it helped me understand what you were thinking. I also liked how you shared the advantages and disadvantages.
    Katherine St. Jean

  5. This seems like a really cool book! I liked how you wrote your letter essay and how you gave special facts about the author. She seems really interesting and I would like to explore some of her writing. Overall great job!

    Allie Schuldt

  6. Dear Chelsea,

    I loved your essay a lot. The way you explained it in detail and what you liked about the book made me interested in the novel. I especially liked how you included some background information about the book and author. I also think that your summary was very well-written and gave a really good explanation of the book. Your thinking at the end added a nice touch to the piece. Great job!

  7. Dear Chelsea,
    I have been thinking about reading this book. So many of my peers have read this book, and they say that they loved it…so I am really excited to because after reading your essay, I am considering reading it! You gave so much detail, and made the essay engaging with examples from the book. You did a really good job with your essay! I still dont understand what ¨Room¨ means?…..\
    -Maye Stichter

  8. Dear Chelsea,

    This book seems awesome and you did an amazing job on your letter essay. It seems like you really had a well understanding of your book. I enjoyed your word choice and the format of you essay and when you used phrases like ” This book gave me chills”. You also included great quotes and had great evidence. Well done.

    – Ava Lambo

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